


Trials and Tribulations

by SpookyMiscreant



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Derek Hale & Scott McCall are Both Alphas, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 21:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17609138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookyMiscreant/pseuds/SpookyMiscreant
Summary: When the pack continues to underestimate and devalue Stiles he finally snaps and to protect his new charge he sets up a maze to teach the pack an important lesson and to be a little shit, except he forgot that Peter refuses to lose.





	Trials and Tribulations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Mysenia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysenia/gifts).



> Hi! So this was supposed to be [ Mysenia's prompt](http://mysenia.tumblr.com/post/119903905825/i-have-this-idea-in-my-head-of-stiles-getting)  
> But most of this is about Stiles adopting a young boy. idk yall I had zero plans for that to happen. This was just supposed to be the maze prompt but things out of control and this ran away from me.  
> Sorry!  
> [ I made a tumblr post with an edit as usual!](https://lacrossepapi.tumblr.com/post/182446295128/trials-and-tribulations)  
> oh and this is unbeta-ed so don't come at me about spelling or anything lol

“Don’t touch him.” Stiles’ voice cut through the various sounds of demons and wolves clashing. 

This demon lord had been in town for three days and Stiles was sick of the fear, of the blood, of the lonely nights filled with nightmares. The bastard had kidnapped Isaac, declaring that the wolf would be his mate and rule his kingdom in hell by his side. Personally, Stiles didn’t think that sounded too bad. They were all going to hell anyways, so why not get an early ride in exchange for being a king? He could fuck a not that bad looking demon lord for eternity in exchange for not being tortured. Nobody else saw it that way though. 

The demon hummed, a thrilled, intrigued sound as his red eyes turned to Stiles. 

“This one has power. You smell divine little mage.” The demon lord unceremoniously dropped Isaac from his clawed hands and gave Stiles his full attention. 

All Stiles had to do was distract him long enough for Scott to get Isaac and Derek to round up the rest of the puppies, he could definitely do that. 

“So you’ve finally figured it out? Yes, I am a mage. What does a mage have that a demon lord would want?” Stiles did not flinch when a clawed hand reached out to him, to caress or maim. 

When his dark tipped fingers brushed an invisible wall the demon lord’s eyes widened with surprise and a bit of awe, a smile stretching across his inhuman face. 

“Interesting. You’re stronger than you appear if your shield does not wither under my touch. You would be an excellent king, my love.” Several angry growls rose from behind Stiles making the man grin, a wicked thing full of teeth and malice. 

“Best to watch yourself, my pack does not take those threats lightly.” The demon grinned back, the thrill of a chase seen clearly on his features before Stiles spoke again, “Now I am done with your flattery and your slaughter.” 

He rose slightly off the ground, black veins bulging from under pale skin and silver eyes bright in the night, “Leave now, Abraxas, before I turn your demon horde to ash and your bones to dust.” 

Stiles’ voice echoed through the clearing leaving no question as to if he could indeed burn a demon horde to the ground and take their lord with them. 

The demon lord Abraxas watching Stiles for a moment longer before nodding, “I will remember you Stiles Stilinski and when you are killed I will claim your soul for eternity.” 

“Well then if I die I’ll see you then. Now get out of my town.” 

Where once there was fifty demons slobbering and drenched in blood there now only stood their lord, who gave one final wink before disappearing himself. 

Stiles turned back to his pack, acutely aware that Kira had been gravely injured in the fight and did not heal as fast as the wolves. As he reached for her, hands glowing with healing light he took note of the rest of the pack. Erica and Boyd were huddled around Isaac, all three bleeding but fine. Scott and Derek were debating how to clean up the mess, while Allison and Lydia were watching Stiles with a look in their eyes he wasn’t ready to address. Cora and Malia were arguing about who took down the most demons, like the bad asses they were. Peter was leaning against a nearby tree trying to hide the fact that his arm was hanging half off his body, never one to admit to an injury. Stiles found himself chuckling despite the screaming girl beneath him, his pack would never change and he would always be here to take care of them. 

Magical healing was never pretty nor relaxing, often being excruciatingly painful and all around a horrible experience. Stiles tried to only make them suffer through enough to keep them alive while their own healing kicked in, but with the less sturdy pack members he had to finish the job despite their screams and thrashing bodies. He hated it. 

Stiles let Peter hide his injury until he could get the older wolf alone, knowing he’d never let the Scott or Derek see him so weak. 

“Alright Zombiewolf let me see your arm.” Stiles demanded as he walked beside the older man at the end of the pack. 

“I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about, dear Stiles.” 

“Oh really?” he knew it was a shitty thing to do, but if Peter was going to be difficult then so would Stiles. 

He lifted his hand and grinned at Peter, “Give me a high five.” 

“No thank you.” 

“Alright, how about a low five?” 

“How juvenile. I expected more from you.” 

Stiles rolled his eyes before stepping in front of Peter, making the older man come to a stop, “Peter, let me help.” 

The werewolf sighed before offering his injured arm to Stiles. 

“I put a silence charm around us so feel free to scream, cause this is going to hurt.” 

-

Weeks passed with no missing citizens, no dead bodies, and thankfully no new monsters. The city of Beacon Hills was finally peaceful, and Stiles was bored. No fighting meant that Stiles was forced to face how broken and unhappy he truly was. 

The end of the school year meant the pack was graduating and Stiles would have to say goodbye to the only people who’d ever really known him. He’d begun dreading the date as it slowly crept up on him. 

A tan bear with a pink nose was spotted multiple times in one week, but since there was no dead bodies or missing persons it took awhile for Stiles to hear about the sightings. He quickly started interviewing the witnesses trying to understand why such an animal would be in Beacon Hills. He’d finally gathered enough information to definitely say a Canadian spirit bear was in Beacon Hills and most likely was a shifter, and brought his conclusions to the pack. 

“What do you mean it’s a shifter?” 

“How could you possibly know its a spirit bear?”

“What if it’s just a sick brown bear?” 

“How do you know it’s a shifter?” 

“Did you actually see it?” 

Stiles’ frustration was rapidly increasing by the second until he finally snapped, “I know it’s a spirit bear because I used the process of elimination. I know it’s a shifter because when anyone tries to get a picture of it the eyes shine so bright it ruins the picture. And also the whole, spirit bears only live in the Canadian rainforest.” 

Someone, most likely Peter, chuckled at his irritation. 

“Okay. I believe you. Derek and I will go meet the shifter and see why they’re here.” Scott said with a grin, as if that would soothe the hurt of having to over explain himself just for the pack’s trust. 

“I want to go. I love spirit bears and I’m pretty sure this one is a child.” 

“It’s not safe for you to meet an unknown shifter. If it’s a child the parents could be coming at any moment.” Derek’s words made Stiles spin around to face the other alpha. 

“Neither one of you knows jack shit about children and none of you know how to approach a bear without angering or spooking it.” Stiles demanded. 

“I have a younger sister, Stiles.” 

“How do you know how to approach a bear?” 

Stiles sighed, dejected and aware he’d lost the fight regardless of what he said. 

“Whatever. Just go and help the poor thing.” 

The alphas nodded and took their leave, the loft suddenly becoming uncomfortably quiet. 

“I remember taking hunter’s safety with you. The lesson on dangerous wildlife was always the best part wasn’t it?” Erica’s voice reminded Stiles he couldn’t dissolve into an angst puddle because the rest of the pack was still around him. 

“And I remember you getting off the bus at the daycare every afternoon despite the fact that you were too old to be there.” Boyd offered, placing a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. 

Stiles smiled at them, “Thanks guys. It’ll be fine.” 

A quiet moment of tension before he shrugged, “Probably.” 

-

The two alphas weren’t able to speak to the bear or get it to shift back, which won Stiles twenty bucks from Isaac. They decided to try again the next day, but Stiles couldn’t let the little thing spend another night alone in an unknown forest. After his father left for work Stiles stepped outside and started up the grill. He grilled salmon so the smell of fish would permeate the air around his house and played a recording of a black bear he’d found on the National Geographic website.

Stiles’ thought that he could lure the cub to his back yard was proven right when he heard the distinct sound of heavy paws approaching, his wards telling him a shifter was entering his yard. A pink nose pushed its way through the bushes, followed by a large blonde head with yellow eyes. The rest of the bear cub was larger than Stiles had been expecting, but still small enough he knew the poor thing was still growing. 

Stiles averted his eyes and spoke clearly, “Hello. My name is Stiles, this is my house and you are safe here.” 

He tossed a salmon to the bear, watching the cub quickly devour it. Stiles had feared the cub was straying near town because of a lack of food in the preserve, and his fears seemed justified as the cub quickly devoured a second one. Stiles started tossing the salmon closer and closer to his spot on the porch, coercing the cub to come closer. When the bear was close enough to touch Stiles slowly sat down and turn his head so that his eyes were down cast and his neck bared. A cold nose was shoved against his neck after a moment of silent tension. Another moment of crucial silence passed as Stiles kept his heart rate as slow as possible with a bear’s snout against his throat. 

“Mama!” the voice suddenly crying out in Stiles’ ear made him jump, but didn’t surprise enough to stunt his reflexes as he quickly caught the toddler. 

Stiles hushed him and rocked them both side to side as the little boy cried. They stayed like that for a long time, until finally the child stopped crying and seemed to have fallen asleep. 

Stiles carried the little boy up to his room and held him close through the night. 

-

The next day Stiles woke to a child snuffling against his neck. 

“Good morning, little cub. Did you sleep okay?” 

“I  miss mama.” the cub whined pathetically before nuzzling under Stiles’ chin. 

“Do you know where she is?” 

“Big, big bear tried to get us but mama said I had to run so fast and I did!” He smiled at Stiles. 

“Yes you did little guy. I’m so proud of you. Have you seen your mama since?” 

“No. She said to run until I found papa, but he was mean and didn’t like me, so i just kept on going.” 

Stiles’ brow furrowed for a moment as he tried to connect the pieces. Did he just run away from a fight or did his father actually not want him?

“How did you know papa didn’t like you, buddy?” 

“He told me I was never ‘posed to let my fingies and toesies come out. He talked real bad about mama too.” Stiles hugged the little boy closer. 

Stiles held him tight until the little boy wormed his way out of his arms and asked, “Can I have more fish?” 

“Yes you can! What’s your name little cub?” 

“Jesse!” 

After eating a real breakfast, which included more salmon, Stiles told Jesse all about each pack member and how nice and amazing they all were so the little boy wouldn’t be scared of them. 

“You have to come here because I don’t have a carseat. How am I supposed to get a toddler to the loft in my Jeep without a carseat?” 

“No she’s not a deathtrap, thank you very much.”

“Just hurry up and get here. He wants to meet you guys.” 

Stiles sighed heavily. 

Jesse hopped up into his lap, content to play with his hoodie strings until the pack arrived. 

-

Scott was the last to arrive, already grinning as he took his helmet off. 

“I told you we could totally get the cub safely!” Scott cheered, his hand high waiting for Stiles to slap it. 

“Yeah man. We did it.” The high five that followed was weak. 

Lydia crossed her legs and tossed her hair back before speaking, “Really Scott? Stiles is the one that helped Jesse. Not ‘we’. Him.” 

Stiles shot her a grateful look as he scooped Jesse off of his leg. 

“Okay guys so this is Jesse. He’s a spirit bear shifter and he’s been traveling alone for a long time. He’d got nowhere else to go and he’s going to be staying with me from now on.” 

He hadn’t been consciously aware of the decision until he had spoken the words, but Jesse absolutely was going to stay with Stiles and his father. He’d seen the look on his father’s face when he’d introduced them that morning. 

Scott spluttered “You can’t just adopt him like it’s nothing.” 

“He’s a shifter Stiles. He need more than you can give.” Derek demanded. 

“Well I raised your pack pretty well on my own.” 

Derek glared, while the other snickered. 

“What about when his parents come looking?” Peter inquired, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. 

“I’ll tell you why they won’t when he lays down for his nap in a bit.” 

“No nap!” 

“Yes nap.” Stiles said plainly, lightly pinching the boy’s cheek.

“No! Nap!” 

“You want to go nap right now?” 

“No.” This time the words were more subdued. 

“Anyways, Jessop Stilinski will be officially adopted by the end of the day. And I don’t care about any of your opinions.”

He’d expected to see angry faces ready to argue, but was greeted by the sight of his friend’s grinning faces. 

“You’re such a dad. How did we not see it?” Malia laughed. 

“I thought it was a good idea from the start. He shouldn’t be out there alone.” Cora said, reminding everyone that she’d once been in Jesse position. 

“I can’t wait to see you in a fanny pack, darling.” Peter leered, reminding Stiles he needed to finish his pop culture and fashion lessons with Peter. 

“Stiles. No. You aren’t strong enough to protect him.” Derek pleaded. 

“Seriously man, he’s not safe here.” Scott added approaching Stiles as if to take Jesse from him. 

Jesse whimpered and ducked his head into Stiles chest, no doubt feeling Stiles’ rage through their fledgling pack bond.The sound of his cub being scared and unsure broke something in Stiles and suddenly the two alphas were on the ground, struggling under the pressure of Stiles’ magic. He ignored the defensive wolves at his back, scared and threatened by the sight of their alphas on the ground but in control enough to not interfere. 

Stiles felt his feet rise from the ground and the ends of his hair lift from his scalp as wind tore through the house, swirling quickly around Stiles and Jesse. He knew his eyes had changed to the silver that came with his magic and that his veins had once again turned black, he did not like what he looked like when he let his magic course through him this strongly, but he would not let them take his child from him. 

“I am  _ the strongest _ member of this pack.” The words filled the living room as if they to were made of magic.

The wolves behind him whimpered and submitted, but he did not care about them. 

“Okay! We were wrong! Stiles stop this!” Scott shouted, still being crushed into the ground. 

“Stiles!” Derek cried after a long moment of Stiles’ continued silence. 

Stiles sighed, releasing his magic back into the ground and freeing the wolves he’d trapped. 

Both rose quickly, angry and embarrassed. 

“Do not ever do that again.” Derek spit the words, Stiles would undoubtedly be pushed against a wall if he hadn’t been holding a laughing toddler. 

“I can’t believe you man.” Scott muttered before following Derek out the door. 

Stiles didn’t move as the rest of the pack filed out after their alphas, a few saying goodbye to him and Jesse. 

“That was fun!”Jesse cheered pulling on Stiles’ hoodie strings excitedly. 

“Yeah, and now I’m ready to take a nap. How about you buddy?” 

“No nap!” 

-

Stiles didn’t answer the pack’s messages or attend any pack meetings for a month. A month of taking care of Jesse and picking a college close enough to help if anything happened, but still a good criminal justice school. It was a month full of frustration and fighting with a four year old. 

Eventually Scott texted and demanded what they could do to show that they value him and need him in the pack, which sparked an idea in Stiles’ head that ran rampant over the next few days. 

He replied, “Prove it.” and sent his location to the pack group message. 

He was currently sitting in the exact middle of the preserve surrounded by eleven doors, most of which he knew would never open. He didn’t realistically expect any of them to open. 

He had transformed the preserve into a giant maze with eleven entrances, each one spelled to only allow one person to enter, and many chambers filled with tricks, traps, monsters, and riddles. He was sick of the pack pretending to value him, it was time to see who actually did. 

Stiles practiced the alphabet and counting to ten with Jesse while he waited, the four year old would be starting school in the fall and needed to catch up to the kids that hadn’t been a bear for over a year. 

The first one into the maze was Malia though she was not the first to lose, that honor went predictably to Isaac. The first chamber had two tunnels, one tunnel had Scott’s name over it, the other had Derek’s, but both were correct. Both wolves were caring alphas who had their own faults, neither was the better alpha. Isaac could not pick which alpha he was more loyal to in his heart, the ground opening up from underneath him for hesitating too long. 

Stiles snickered as Jesse loudly counted his fingers and Isaac fell to the bottom of a pit. 

Malia turned out to be the second to go, charging straight past the riddles and warnings Stiles had spent forever thinking of and falling straight into the moss covered pitfall, joining a grumpy Isaac. Stiles smiled at her roar of fury but couldn't help feeling disappointed that she hadn't even though to read the engraved signs he'd placed in easy eye level. 

Stiles smiled in delight as everyone was approaching halfway, he had not expected most to make it very far at all. The pitfall warnings we're closer to riddles and he thought he'd made them difficult to understand.

Poor Allison lost in the chamber Stiles had spelled to show them a lost loved one. Crying for the mother her memories had conjured up, a cold woman who despite her coarse words had genuinely loved her daughter. It was a nasty trick, but Stiles constantly had his mother’s death thrown in his face every time a bad guy smelled his magic. He’d thought that chamber would get Derek or Cora since they’d lost more than anyone, but both were hardened by their grief and were able to smell the magic on the mirages, which was not something he'd anticipated and quickly rectified for one specific chamber. 

Cora dropped in the chamber Stiles had placed a singular joystick, she did not know the song of time despite Stiles setting it as his ringtone and the motions as his password to everything. He couldn’t really fault her for that though, but this maze wasn’t about picking favorites or feeling guilty it was about the pack proving which of them genuinely knew Stiles and proving that while alone they could only go as far as their individual weaknesses allowed. Hopefully they'd understand why he'd targeted their weaknesses by the last chamber, that is if anyone actually reached it. 

Scott and Derek were breezing through, but Stiles had something saved for them towards the end so he turned his attention to Erica and Boyd. 

Erica lost in the chamber of wendigos, swarmed by the realistic illusions before finally dropping into the pit that held her pack mates. Stiles had fought a coven of wendigos last summer on his own and no one had realized how close he'd actually came to dying. Now they'd understand.  Boyd continued passed to the chamber with four levers and four Hogwarts houses, pull the right lever and he’d pass. Unfortunately Boyd pulled Gryffindor, and into the pit he fell. Boyd had had a tendency to put Stiles in a heroistic light ever since sophomore year when he'd dragged Erica and Boyd out of that basement with his bare hands, unable to much with his magic at that point and scared that he'd get them all killed if he'd tried. 

Lydia was fearless as she screamed wendigos into oblivion and narrowly avoided picking the wrong house, but as she'd moved to pull the wrong lever she seemed to realize it didn't matter what she thought of him this was about what he thought of himself. She did not make it passed the mirrored chamber, sadly.  Surrounded on all sides by mirrors and a singular sign that read “How do you know you’re you?” she crumpled shouting, “You’ll never need someone else to tell you who you are Stiles!”, unable to solve the riddle from Stiles’ perspective before the pit opened up beneath her. 

Kira had shouted, “In a dream you have extra fingers!” before charging through the closest mirror, confident in her answer. The next chamber took Kira down unfortunately. All she had to do was keep control of her shift while six golem approached slow and menacingly. She couldn’t keep her kitsune in, her aura exploding out around her and she shouted, “Stay back!” 

Derek and Scott had both just arrived to the second to last chamber. Inside was the illusion of a human woman, this time spelled to smell only human. She asked for their help, tears streaming down her face as she approached and a knife dripping in kanima venom. She took Scott down while he asked her what had happened. Derek faired better, incapacitating her quickly and without real harm.

Jesse gasped beside Stiles drawing his attention away from the monitors he used to watch each pack member. Standing before them covered in blood was a very exhausted Peter Hale. 

“Really Stiles? Mirages and illusions the whole way, but the last chamber has a real creature?” the werewolf inquired as he approached a shocked Stiles. 

“I gotta keep ya on your toes Creeperwolf.” Stiles grinned, expecting Peter to lightly cuff his head. 

Peter smiled at him before placing a gentle, loving kiss on Stiles’ stunned lips. The werewolf promptly passed out after, collapsing at Stiles’ feet. 

Stiles looked up just in time to see the pit open up into the last chamber where Derek was fighting the hydra. The pack leapt out of the pit together and took down the hydra quickly. They entered the sitting room Stiles and Jesse had inhabited for the passed couple hours and looked at Stiles expectantly. 

“Did we pass then?” Isaac sneered. 

“Yes. But only in the end. I was just trying to show you guys that alone we are weak but together, using everyone’s strength we are a pack and as a pack we can overcome anything.” 

Stiles winced. 

“You’re also a vindictive little monster.” Malia huffed. 

“That too.” Stiles shrugged.

“And Peter?” Derek asked, pointing to the collapsed form of his uncle. 

“I had not counted for Peter’s unwillingness to work together or lose.” Stiles grinned. 

He had not accounted for Peter, that was for sure. He touched his lips for a moment in thought. 

“Dinner time yet, ‘Tiles?” Jesse whined more than asked. 

Stiles nodded and snapped his fingers, the room and the maze around them disappeared in an instant, the nine hydras returning to their stomping grounds in Greece. 

-

“Peter stop eavesdropping. I know you're awake.” Stiles had been monitoring Peter’s heart rate and healing factor since the moment he’d passed out and knew that for the last ten minutes the older man had been listening to the pack yell at Stiles. 

“Guilty.” Peter replied with a smirk as he sat up. 

Stiles turned back to his angry friends and motioned for them to continue. 

“How could you make Allison face her mother’s ghost?” 

“How was anyone supposed to know there would be a giant hole in the middle of the pathway?” 

“You know I’m scared of wendigos, Stiles!” 

Peter finally joined the pack in the kitchen, but chose to stand by Stiles and face the pack, “No one was supposed to win. Stop being angry that he knew your weaknesses when you also know his. Pack is about catching others when they stumble, and not only have you all been stopping him from lifting you up, you’ve been ignoring his own pitfalls.”

The pack sat in silence for a moment as they thought about how they did actually know Stiles’ short comings and weaknesses and how he’d used theirs to show them that a pack is a unit not a group of individuals working towards their own goals. 

“Well the test was subjective which means it cannot be used as an adequate grading system.” Lydia huffed. 

“Someone did win. You did, Uncle.” Derek reminded them. 

“That’s because I have no weaknesses.” Peter replied with a smirk. 

“Or he forgot about you.” Scott mumbled. 

“Or, I forgot how ruthless Peter is when he’s not being a dick and using it against us.” Stiles shrugged. 

The mage’s eyes lit up for a moment before he turned to Peter completely, “How did you defeat the Hydra alone?” 

“You mean you weren’t watching?” Cora asked, the Hale family eyebrow look morphing her features. 

“Jesse was trying to count to twenty and Scott was being stabbed by a crazy woman, so no I wasn’t watching.” Stiles sniffed, crossing his arms defensively. 

Peter turned his body towards Stiles too, as if they were speaking only to each other and the rest of the pack was no longer in the room, “I simply set it on fire.” 

“I didn’t know you could kill them with fire. Peter, you’re a burn victim.” Stiles said in awe. 

“Two times over. I’m aware of my weakness and do not let it stop me.” 

“If you’d tried to fight it the pack would have came to your aid.”

“Would they have?” 

Stiles glanced at his friends guilty faces before stepping closer to Peter.

“I wouldn’t have let you die.”

“I will never die again, darling.” 

“No. You won’t.” Were Stiles final words on the subject. 

He turned back to his friends and smiled, “So who’s ready for dinner?” 

“Me!” shouted Jesse, Malia, and Erica. 

-

Stiles was glad to see the pack working as a unit more in the aftermath of the maze. Derek stopped patrolling alone, Stiles and Deaton had started working with Kira on her control, Peter started teaching Erica how to fight Wendigos specifically, and over night almost as if my magic the fireplace in the loft had disappeared and the stove had changed from gas to electric. They’d started training together more, often times training separately but still together. 

Jesse was acclimating to pack life easily, romping around training sessions and tackling his alphas in literal bear hugs. He still clung to Stiles when the betas growled or nipped at each other, tempers flaring easily between teenagers, but on the whole he was adjusting well. He was especially fond of the Hales, most likely due to the fact that they too were born shifters and were more intune with their wolves. The Hales were also fun to hang on and crawl all over if Jesse’s shrieks of glee as he ran and leaped onto Peter’s back were anything to go by. 

“Stiles.” 

He hummed, looking up from his latin notes and into Peter’s amused, yet exasperated face. 

“You’ve been sunbathing long enough, your skin burns too easily, love.” 

Stiles nodded silently, his mind still running through phrases and definitions. 

“Up you get.” Peter spoke quietly, lifting Stiles off the blanket he was sprawled across in the grass. 

“Don’t forget my books, Peter. I need to figure the summoning ritual out. Gotta reverse engineer it.” Stiles mumbled, his body and mind made soft by his time focusing in the warm sun. 

“I won’t forget them. Let me get you to bed and I will come back for them.” Peter reassured him. 

“‘Tiles! Papa is taking me to the park!” Jesse yelled, racing down the stairs and almost colliding with the very wombly mage. 

“That’s amazing, sweetie. Remember that Papa isn’t as strong as you and the wolves so you gotta be gentle with him okay?” 

Jesse huffed, his little foot stomping the ground, “I know how to play with Papa, ‘Tiles! I’m not a baby!” 

“You know he didn’t mean it like that, cub. Don’t be mean.” Peter spoke calmly, but even Stiles could feel the reprimand in the man’s aura. 

Jesse crossed his arms, his eyes turning away from Peter and Stiles as he mumbled, “Sorry Pe-ya. Sorry ‘Tiles.” 

“I’m sorry too, cub. Have fun with Papa today.” Stiles tried to smile at his adopted son, but his face felt so heavy it was more of a flash of a grin than a genuine smile. 

He ruffled Jesse’s hair as he passed the four year old and headed for the stairs. 

“Hey Peter?” Stiles asked as he laid back onto his bed, immediately burrowing into the blankets.

“Yes, love?”

“Why do you only call me ‘Love’ now?” 

“Because I love you, Stiles.” 

Stiles was well on his way to being asleep, but his heart lurched at the admission. 

“I love you too, Peter. But you should still call me the other pet names too. I like them.” His last words were mumbled into Peter’s chest as the older man joined him in his bed. 

Peter ran his hand down Stiles’ back and whispered, “Anything for you, darling boy.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> [Come say hi!](https://lacrossepapi.tumblr.com)


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